Loredana Alexe: The only happy constant in my life is change.

Loredana Alexe

From:PiteștiBorn on:9 July 1989Occupation:Communication Specialist

I had 3 years old. I was in a church surrounded by a lot of unknown people, and all I could see was a forest of feet. I was alarmed. My sister, who just had been out of my mother’s belly for a month, was crying. Her voice resounded somewhere far in all that giant space seen through child eyes. I put my hand on my grandmother’s cloth skirt and on my uncle’s trousers. I was dragging on them and wondering, “What’s going on?”. I needed to find out what happened. There the memory stopped, because I do not know how the church looks, I know nothing else.

The baptism of the younger sister is my first memory.

Loredana Alexe is above all a communication specialist. This title is not only the result of the studies followed, but also the conclusion I reached in the few hours of dialogue. She speaks well and underlines the essentials in sentence.

Dedicated to emotions, she says that often she acted under their influence, even when gone to help the Guatemala’s poor children, she first made yoga in Panama, on an almost deserted island in the Caribbean Sea with a perfectly white sand under the feet. She believes in the balance of positive energies to which this practice, executed with the soul, without the inertia of the trend, leads you.

Loredana has a very diverse career path, working for Royal House, in the petroleum field, marketing, environment related NGO, multi-cultural experience with NGO on education aspects, NGO on gypsy communities, politics, and now, blockchain advertising.

She writes since 2010 on his personal website about her own experiences, family and friends.

“Rather in Buda”, she answers. I asked her if she believes in God, inspired by a gentleman who approached our bank in the park. He was selling religion books with a reproachful suggestive cover – Does anyone care about God? Buddhism is a lifestyle and it fits to my spirit more than the doctrine that certain religions, perhaps even ours, have in the substrate.”

Loredana is a woman with a ballerina body, a convinced carnivore, who plentifully uses pepper on almost any plate, especially over fries.

Another parallel paradox recently discovered, is the intensity of work and the focus that she didn’t believe part of her. The woman who loved rest and sleep, the comfort, now she is working from 8am to 3am next day with the same enthusiasm.

When you put your energy into things that offer something back, you never feel like you give.

MS: Childhood? Transition to adulthood? How were they?

My grandparents were simple peasants, shepherds or craftsmen. They supported three children to go to school, and one of them was my dad. I used to visit them in Corbşori, a village 30 km away from Curtea de Argeș city and I remember how the winter smelled there – of crisp snow and sleighing mixed with the fear of the steep slopes of the village. The town where I lived, Pitesti didn’t offer me the adventures of the countryside, nor the slow pace of the country, the walks through the small orchard behind the house, the shelter at the base of the tall walnuts, especially not the fresh air and the starry sky – a bunch of bright dots to look at.

Besides urban escapes, my childhood was very much influenced by Cartoon Network’s series, perhaps a bit more than other children of my age.

I followed their stories as a toddler and gradually became accustomed to the different sounds of the language. When my mom noticed that I was pronouncing strange words, she found me a young teacher, Corina, a gentle guide in my new journey.

I learned English amazed by Disney stories and basically, at 5 or 6 years old, I wanted to learn to write, just to be able to put on paper Tom & Jerry. English has been decisive for me many times throughout my life.

I was a child set up on British linguistics, I wrote and read in English, I participated in the Olympics, and I needed a permanent challenge. I finally found a coordinating teacher at Zinca Golescu High School and that was it – I was on board. Until today, English has followed me loyally and I am happy and grateful to my mother for seeing my affinity, helping me turn it into a great asset.

Then, I attended the Faculty of Communication and Public Relations at SNSPA. The natural evolution of the master came more for the sake of participating in the Erasmus program than going through a ‘specialization’ that would repeat things already known. My choice was Corporate Communication and Brand Management, and look, 10 years later, this is precisely what I am doing.

At that time, it seemed to me that it was not confident enough to go alone with the mobility of the faculty. But I needed to defeat a series of fears, and that is how 7 months spent outside the country happened. From insecurity to cold reluctance. It was a planned departure, but the final decision came in a few seconds with the answer to: “Do I want it or not?”.

And I left. I went to Estonia, the northernmost state in the Baltic region. In December, at noon, there are -20 degrees, conditions in which everything is done in a perfectly natural way. I didn’t believe it was possible for people to live there, and moreover, I didn’t understand why they wanted to live there.

In Tallinn I went to Baltic Film, Media, Arts and Communication School, specializing in PR, Business and Corporate Communication, in an extraordinary headquarters, where teachers prepared at Moscow International Film School could be found. I achieved my goals, promoting each evaluation, but I also took part in Photography and Light techniques or Storytelling classes, where we had case studies with the greatest classic films such as Cassablanca. We analized the narrative thread, we were all hypnotized in a huge class, amazed by the what wonderful experiences the University brings. I played in a short film and worked a little on both the editing and technical aspects. I learned a lot.

Another chapter of my Baltic adventure was visiting Lapland. I arrived in Finland and I met the sami culture, which extends to the northern regions of Norway, Sweden and Russia. It is exactly what we see in pictures on the Internet, people with red cheeks, that are fond of fishing and raising reindeers.

I also went to Santa Claus town, Rovaniemi, and I was delighted by the dedication of people to promote their traditions. I met Santa and the little factory and it made me think of how little we do to promote our own country. There are many resorts and the old sauna concept is very popular, besides being also very healthy for those who live in those extreme conditions. I think I was lucky, because if I hadn’t integrated their lifestyle, changing the temperature of the sauna to the many degrees on the minus would have been a heavy burden to carry. For example, I had Finnish sauna at 90 degrees and then jumped into a frozen lake. “If I do not do it now, I will never do it!”, I thought to myself.

MS: Following your Instagram profile, I discovered a talented vision. Do you especially like the black and white photography?

Yes, it is my favorite kind of photography and it so happens to coincide with the hurt soul photography. One thing I learned either at photography courses or testing with my phone is that the visual binary helps you figure out what your frame is about: it removes the noise of the context that sometimes makes no sense. And the first advice I received was to set my photo without color and only afterwards adjust it according to the story I want to show.

The times when I switch from the black and white approach is mostly summer time – when the strong contrasts, the joy of being at sea, in the sun and with warm sand under your feet, increase the color variation of the frames I take.

I have learned to express myself artistically and easily through photography, because I have no talent at … drawing, for example, and the time investment in another branch with aesthetic value would be too costly. I have often been close to architects, more prepared people who have played with serious artistic instruments, I have always enjoyed the results of their work, but I used what I had around and my own vision transposed through the camera lenses. I kept photography at a passion level until this year when I had my first paid jobs for product or event photography. I really want the company I set up to have the chance to give joy also through photography, one day.

MS: I would say you have explored a lot in the professional area. What position or title do you find fits you best?

If I look back, I realize how much a few bravery seconds matter in making a decision. Decisions according to what I wanted to do, decisions that helped me get to know myself better, more than I would have managed in a single job. It was fine that I did it MY WAY. I listen to my voice. From the outside, I know it seemed crazy and that even the family didn’t understand why I was so unpredictable with changing jobs so often, at times.

Finally, all this stages revealed courage and strength, because when you take your fate into your hands you conquer new horizons.

Initially, I thought I was somehow “schizophrenic”, that I will never find a professional place to stay and that I would never know what I wanted to do in my life or with the information gained in the communication industry. I later learned, that it is perfectly OK not to fit in an agency. Globally, the millennials are looking for meaning in work, and there is nothing wrong with wanting to do something that you really enjoy, motivates you and gives value to society. And if that helps you more than making more money per month, it’s perfectly understandable. To reach all of these conclusions, I went through a lot throughout my career, sometimes thinking I was lost. It seemed to me that there was no ‘silver lining’ between my activities.

I am now glad that I did what I felt and that from every setting point I took exactly what I needed at that time to go further on my own path.
Now I am grateful that the only happy constant in my life is change.

MS: But you’re Cancer and we do not like the change, do we?

It seems to me that we have the capacity to be both introverts and extroverts. We control this balance very well. And, the empathy we hold is an invincible force, because, after all, life is good when you know how to connect to people. I think that the great power comes from the positive environment in which our family bloomed. However, it’s hard to keep your vulnerability intact. I see it around me at times, that special glow, the most troubled people bury it in the deepest hollow of their souls in order to not appear ‘vulnerable’.

Yes, we are somewhat more sensitive, but it seems to me that on the long run, returning to the shell and analysing words helps you with the inner monologue. Perhaps you cannot find the answer or the way out, but this exercise – of asking yourself big questions in retrospective – seems to me a big step forward if you compare it to others who are fine where they are, without any complications or questions. It can only become dangerous when you are addressing the same questions over and over and you cannot find the way.

Our astrological sign is often mis-regarded/ blamed, but I am convinced that our strength comes from empathy, which ultimately turns into great flexibility.

MS: Were there moments in your life when you needed to shift completely?

I have all the time tried to build solid relationships, but it so happened that I met people who needed to repair themselves first and then they would be ready to build along my side. And by investing in such kind of friendships, you get to a point where you better identify the north.

And because relationships also go outside the personal sphere, another difficult moment was when I put my work in second place and the relationship first. I gave up a promotion and more responsibility because it would have taken my personal time, it would have restricted my very comfortable personal lifestyle and day to day leisure activities.

When you find yourself at a crossroads and choose a direction, you have to be aware that that the other path closes and takes its answers away with it. You will never know what the other direction might have brought. You can simply acknowledge it. You prioritize paths according to how you set your values. And, it seems to me that priorities can change from one year to another and from one age to another. Even in a few months, you can make some light on the list of goals, rearranging them. Putting them in order depends on your inner awareness level and on the connection with your Self. In all this process, you have to listen to your own voice, because otherwise you risk less desired paths in life, although a lot of signals say, “It doesn’t work there.”

Refreshing the values ​​proves maturity, but also taking responsibility for who you are; a thing I’m learning all the time – to have the courage to say: that’s me. Be aware of the strengths and weaknesses and integrate them into your own path.

I am prone to take responsibility since I was very young and unconsciously applied it in close relationships. An episode explaining my way of being, is one from the age of four. I was at seaside with my parents and I heard a conversation between my parents about not having enough money. I don’t think they realized that I heard and understood their words. In my mind, it was stamped that we don’t have money and that I should not ask for anything. And I really wanted it, this little plastic rainbow spiral toy. Although it had an insignificant price, I didn’t dare to say anything, and we said goodbye to the sea, and left, and on our way back home I sank into a bitter crying.

“Are we so poor that we cannot afford even the colored toy?” I told them. My parents didn’t even understand what was going on and they were surprised by my reaction and my question. We talked and we came back to buy the toy.

So, that’s how it was, I embrace some of responsibilities that didn’t belong to me.

More about Loredana Alexe’s activities can be found on her personal Linkedin&Facebookprofilesand also on her personal web-site – lorialexe.ro.